Hotwine,
Last November you posted about the 2000 Blackstone Napa Valley Merlot and liked it. You thought the 1998 Blackstone (CA) Merlot was over the hill. Was this the Napa Valley?
I assume it was. I liked the Napa Valley at a tasting I attended (it retails for about $16 here) but won't bother to buy any if it loses its qualities so quickly.

WOW, I just saw your question on the Blackstone from back in May. That was about the time I started missing some posts altogether, for whatever ghostly techie reason. Sorry 'bout that.

This was the ordinary ol' California label of Blackstone that goes for about $9. To me, it usually has more character than the higher-priced Napa label, but this vintage has suffered a premature demise. I need to find a way to burn off most of a case. Sounds like a party in the works....